What Happens Next
by Melanushkia
Summary: The sad truth about what is after 'Our Story'
1. The Beginnig

I write kind of odd, so try to get into it and please review it! (especially Pink-Umbrella, I NEED to know what you think) I don't own a thing its all the great work of Baz.  
  
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." But what if that love died? he thought. How am I supposed to go on? Yes, I published my book, yes it made money, but is that worth without her? He had no one to share his money with, no one to buy things for, and above all no one to love. Love, what is this word so many use every day? It's just what man put on an emotion he could not understand. While he used to believe in it so whole-heatedly Christian knew it had died, in his arms that night. How long he had held her body he did not know, all he knew was he would not let go, could not let go. He had to hold on, for her.  
  
"Itdoe nutmatter anymore." He slurred to himself as he took another long swig from the bottle of absinthe he held limply in his hands.  
  
"She's gone and there's nothing I can do about it." He thought, speaking much clearer in his head.  
  
He would never love a woman as he had loved her, yes; he had slept with them all since her death. Trying to find the one that could take her place, but none did, all they did was deepen the pain he felt for her. Even the ones who had come back, who had said they loved him, they didn't really love him. They loved his money, his quickly fading looks, not him, not as she had loved him. Soon, they stopped coming back, they knew he didn't care for them and his looks were not what they used to be, now that his diet consisted of absinthe all day, every day. He sat on his bed, alone in his garret, thinking.  
  
"I didn't want to end up like this", Christian thought "I wanted to write, leave this place and never look back. "  
  
But after he published his book he could not think of any thing to write, all he could think about was Satine, and he had already written a book about that. Hence he fell deeper into his addiction and could not get out.  
  
"She wouldn't want to see you like this," he thought "butoo ares?" he said aloud "ssshhhhees, sshhees, shes...."  
  
He had meant to say "gone" but the tears started to flow and he collapsed onto the floor, from the grief? Maybe, but as the absinthe bottle in his had rolled away and hit several others near him he realized there was an evil inside him, an evil that was killing him, just as it had done her.  
  
Good? Bad? You be the judge, PLEASE REVIEW! ~me 


	2. The hard truth, and a big supprise

I own nothing, let's get to it.  
  
He laid there on the floor, for who knows how long, just wallowing in his self-pity. "How could she do this to me?" he thought "I loved her and she left me, left me to die..."  
  
But did she leave him to die? While he held her she struggled to stay alive but everyone gave up hope, and left her on her stage to die, a real actress. The curtain call never happened, and that was the last night of the show. In the morning Satine was gone and everyone thought Christian took her and buried her, not wanting to add to his grief they left him alone. But he didn't. Not even the bohemians talked to him anymore, the only people who came to call at his garret were the women, and even they stopped after a while. He had nothing, only money, and no one to share it with. So that is how he lived for three years, drunken and alone.  
  
"Rap, rap" came the door one sunny spring day. Christian didn't even entrain the feeling to get it; he just lay there, motionless.  
  
"Open the door." Came Toulouse  
  
"No, go away." Christian said, a little more sober than usual  
  
"Fine, I'm coming in." he said, and he did just that since Christian didn't care to lock his door.  
  
"Go away, I don't want to see you, or talk to you, just leave me alone!" hissed Christian  
  
Toulouse found it interesting that Christian didn't even slur once and said "You need to get up and out. It's been three years and you need to move on. I know you know it because you didn't slur, which means you are not drunk, well at least not very drunk, and by not being drunk you are realizing there is more to life then this garret."  
  
"Well, it nice to know you are observing my every move and action, but I don't care what you think, I'm not leaving."  
  
"Yes, you are. How do I know this, you might ask. Well, I know this because you believe in Truth, Freedom, Beauty, and LOVE. You, as a bohemian, can only live so long without all four. Especially the last one, in you're case." He stated, quite sure of himself  
  
"You're wrong, I don't need any of that, all I need is this bottle of absinthe." He stated, equally as sure of himself, and put the bottle to his lips poised to take a sip  
  
"Stop it you dolt!" Toulouse yelled, smacking the bottle to the ground and looking at Christian, who in turn was looking at his smashed bottle in horror.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR??" Christian yelled, ready to throttle Toulouse  
  
"Don't you understand? She wouldn't want to see you like this." he whispered, trying to calm Christian a little  
  
"Don't you understand? I don't care how she would want to see me, she is gone and there's nothing you or I or anyone can do about that." He replied, getting ready to go out to buy a new bottle or two, or three of absinthe, then getting an idea he said, "See? I do go out, all the time."  
  
"To buy more absinthe? Yeah, that's a real trip." Toulouse snapped  
  
"Just get out, if you're here when I get back you are gonna pay." He snapped back and slammed the door  
  
Christian staggered down the stairs, out into the street and over to the liquor store. The man behind the register recognized him, as he always did, and got Christian what he wanted. As he was going home he found himself in front of the Moulin Rouge. He stared up at it, once so proud, now nothing but a pile of rubble with a sixty-foot once-was elephant before it. Seeing it made him think of her, how graceful she was the first time he saw her, how beautiful she was on the stage in Spectacular Spectacular. The more he thought the more the tears started to flow. He turned to go home when he saw someone, a girl with strawberry blonde hair sitting at the foot of the elephant, she was crying. She looked so familiar, but he could not place her, so he went over to she what was the matter.  
  
"Don't cry, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting next to her  
  
"I came here to f-f-find my sister, but this place is a-a-all shut up and she is g-g-gone......" the girl, who so seeing he close up, he realized was not a girl, but a young woman, wailed  
  
"I used to......work here, I'm sure I can help you find who you are looking for. Most of the girls still live around here." He said, trying to comfort her  
  
"Her n-n-name is......is.......is...Satine!" she wailed  
  
Her name pierced his heart, but he wanted to help the woman so he said, "Umm, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but she...died, four years ago."  
  
"She cou-cou-couldn't have, she sent me a l-l-l-letter just last week, saying she w-w-wanted me to come see her. But she didn't put an a-a- address. This was the last place I knew s-s-she was." The woman sobbed, but calming a little  
  
Christian felt as though he had all the worlds riches bestowed to him, "Really?? This is EXCELLENT!!" he shouted  
  
"W-w-what is? My sister being gone?" she said, a little irritated  
  
"NO!! She's not dead!! I have to find her, do you have this letter, may I see it?" he asked eagerly  
  
"Y-y-yes, it's right here." She said, handing it to him  
  
"Thank you" he said as he read it  
  
My Dearest Bella,  
How are you? I' have been missing you so much. I am still in Paris, but I have lost my job and have been looking for another one. With the smoggy air my condition is worsening, but I am getting along. As I told you, I am still trying to find Christian, but since he moved into a new garret I have been unsuccessful. Oh, how I miss him so, but I bet to say he does not miss me. I'm sure he has found someone new and better to love. I did, however move into his old garret and it is good to be back here. Well, I must finish up, places to go, a job to look for.  
  
Your Sister,  
Satine  
  
P.S. Could you come and visit me? I hope so  
  
He could not believe it, she has been right here the whole time, and he was wasting his life in a bottle. He had forgotten the woman next to him, but her word's reminded him she was there.  
  
"Do you know this......" she check the letter "Christian? Maybe he can help me." She asked  
  
"Yes, I am Christian." He said softly  
  
"OH! You are? This is wonderful, now I can find my sister and bring her one, true love to her as well!" she exclaimed, "This is wonderful!"  
  
"I know it is," he said smugly "I thought she had died on that stage.........if I had known, I would have been looking for her." He said, a little sadly  
  
"This is just so perfect!" she said, now overcome with joy, "we must go, right away!"  
  
As he followed he showed her to his new garret to freshen up a bit he saw a garbage bin on the street and threw his bag of absinthe bottles in to it.  
  
Hope you liked it, more to come REVIEW ME, PLEASE!! 


	3. Foiled again and again

So what did ya think of the last chappie?? Little of a cliffie I think, neway, lets get to it. As ever, I own nothing!  
  
"TOULOUSE!" Christian yelled, "TOULOUSE!!" 'Where is that gnome?' he thought  
  
"I'm sorry Christian, I know I should have left, but I-" started Toulouse  
  
"NO! I'm so happy you are here! I have the most wonderful news! SHES ALIVE!!!!!!!" he screamed  
  
"What? Who? Satine? Alive?" said Toulouse, as Christian shook his head to every word "OH! This is wonderful, but wait, how do you know this?" he asked  
  
"Her sister, Bella," he pulled Bella into view "she got a letter from Satine just a week ago. She is living in my old garret. Right under you, how come you never told me?" Christian asked, suddenly angered  
  
"I did not know! I have never seen her. OH!!!!! This is wonderful!" he said  
  
"Yes it is!!" Christian said, "Bella, would you like to freshen up a bit before we go?" he asked  
  
"No, I just want to see my sister." She answered  
  
"Alright, off we go then." Christian said  
  
"Umm, Christian, maybe you should change first." Toulouse said quietly  
  
Christian looked at his alcohol soaked clothes he had not washed in months, "Yes, you are right. I will just be a minuet." He said  
  
So after he changed they were off, Christian in the lead, followed by Bella, and finally, Toulouse. They walked across town to the apartments that once served home to Christian. He ran up the stairs, and to the room he knew so well, "Satine! Darling, I-! He said, but as he opened the door he found no one and nothing there, "Where...?" He ran back down stairs, "Where is the woman who lived in the garret at the first landing?" he said to the woman at the desk franticly "TELL ME!" he yelled  
  
"Don't get yourself all worked up, I don't know where she is. All she said is she was going to London." The old, haggard woman answered "Now go away, I don't want you annoyin my customers."  
  
"Fine" he said, and he left Toulouse and Bella in tow, but the other Bohemians had heard Christians racket and came to find out what was going on  
  
"CHRISTIAN!" they yelled, "We haven't seen you in ages how are you?"  
  
"Oh, I'm alright......" he trailed off  
  
"What ever is wrong now?" one of the Bohemians asked  
  
"He has just found out Satine is not at all dead and has been living under us for three years." Toulouse started sadly, "But she jus left for England, and now........." he also trailed off  
  
"I'm going......." Started Christian, as he moved towards the nearest pub  
  
"NO you're not." Toulouse said sternly, grabbing Christians arm  
  
"Let go Toulouse" he said  
  
"You've already wasted three years, you are not going to waist anymore time on my watch." He said "You are going to London, and you are going to find her, and you are gong to be happy again. Because I cant stand you drunk and brooding any longer!" Toulouse yelled  
  
"You are absolutely right," said Christian "I need to stop feeling sorry for my self and find her, but first......" he made to go buy a drink, but again Toulouse grabbed his arm  
  
"GO NOW!!!!" he yelled  
  
"Okay, okay. I was just joking, calm down." He said, laughing for the first time in four years.  
  
"Very funny Christian" Toulouse said, "Now get moving."  
  
"Can I go back to my garret and pack a bag? Is that ok, dad?" Christian asked sarcastically  
  
"If you must" he answered, just as sarcastic  
  
"Thank you."  
  
And so the Bohemians went back to their garret (after making Bella promise not to let Christian drink), and Christian took Bell to his. Bella was ready, but it was late. After Christian packed his bag, he let Bella sleep in him garret. Which, he found, was terribly messy, what with all the absinthe bottles everywhere. He cleaned it the best he could and let Bella sleep on the sofa.  
  
In the morning both were ready to go. With on last good-bye to the Bohemians they were on their way. They bought one was tickets to London and the train station and were both filled with excitement as they entered the train. The ride was quite uneventful, neither Christian nor Bella could think of anything to say so they just sat in silence. When they got to London, they first went to Bella's garret, as she lived in London. It was now late and they needed to rest. So they slept in Bella's garret. The next morning Christian was so excited he cold not contain himself, "I am going to see her again." He kept saying  
  
After a while Bella got so fed up with it she yelled, "I know you are going to see her again, but will you please shut up?"  
  
He did not say much after that. They went to the post office to check Bella's mail and sure enough there was a letter from Satine. Saying she had found a job in London and would be moving there right away. This time she left an address. As soon as he saw the address he ran from the post office to find his love. But when he got there, he found she had moved again. He was heading for the pub across the street when he saw a full head of red hair running across the street ahead of him......  
  
Cliffie!! HEE, HEE, HEE!! You don't know what happens, but I do! Review me and I shall right again! 


	4. Answers And More Troubles

Ok, now I will put an end to your waiting, oh yeah, I don't own this.  
  
"Satine!" he called, "SATINE!"  
  
The woman turned around, but she was not Satine, "Are you calling me? Because my name is not Satine, that is my daughter. My name is Anne."  
  
"You...You're her mother?" he asked, stunned  
  
"Yes." the woman who could have been Satine's twin answered  
  
"Do...do you know where she is?"  
  
"Yes, she is at my house, where she belongs. She is very sick; she needs fresh air and my care. She will recover, but she needs rest."  
  
"Do you know what she has?" Christian asked, fearing this woman would try to cure Satine of an incurable sickness.  
  
"Yes, she has phenomena, which masquerades as consumption, it will not kill like consumption, but it could if it goes untreated."  
  
"She has...what?"  
  
"Phenomena, do I stutter, boy? Now I real-Bella!" she said, seeing Bella run up behind Christian, "what are you doing here?"  
  
"I was looking for Satine, mom, is she here?"  
  
"No, she is at home, where I can care for her."  
  
"May I come to you home to see her?" Christian asked  
  
"No, she needs rest."  
  
"But mom," came Bella, "This is Christian."  
  
"Christian? So, you are the boy who kept our daughter from us. She was going to come home, but she wanted to stay with her beloved Christian."  
  
"I am sor-"  
  
"Don't you speak to me! You dirt! If it were not for you Satine might not be in the condition she is in! Never come to me house and I never, never want you to see my daughter again. If you ever darken our doorstep I will see to it hat you are put in jail, where you belong, and that you rot there!"  
  
"I...But..." he trailed off  
  
"Mother," said Bella, "you can't keep her from him, she loves him."  
  
"Yes I can, I will make her forget him. With all the suitors I will have for her, she will never think of this Christian again." And she staked off  
  
"I'm sorry Christian." Bella said, following her  
  
'I can't let her get away.' He thought, 'I will find her again, and she will be mine. But how?'  
  
How, that was the question. Christian rented a room in a local hotel and had a friend in Paris bring some of his things to him. He sat in the window of his room, thinking how could he get to her? If her mother hated him with such a passion, her father must be worse. But he loved her; he could not give up. While he sat in his window Satine was getting better.  
  
"Mother, I'm fine, really."  
  
"No you are not. You will stay in that bed until I say you may get up."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Satine?"  
  
"Yes Bella?"  
  
"Mother, may I talk to Satine alone for a moment?"  
  
"Yes, I have work to do in town anyway. But I want you to be brief, she needs her rest."  
  
"Yes mother." She waited until she heard the door slam before she said, "I met Christian."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"Christian, I met him. When I want to find you at the Moulin Rouge he was there and I met him."  
  
"How is he? Where is he? HE"S ALIVE?"  
  
"Yes, he's alive, and he's in London at the moment, but he's a little worse for the ware."  
  
"Why, what's wrong?"  
  
"Well, from what I can gather, since he thought you died four years ago, he wrote a book, it sold, he became rich, and then became an alcoholic."  
  
"He's a what? An alcoholic? How can that be? He was always so reserved and...and..."  
  
"I think he was devastated over you."  
  
"Well, that's just perfect. Where is he? When can I see him?"  
  
"There's the other problem, mother and father think you should stay away from him. When mother met him in town yesterday she said he if he ever came here she would have him put in jail."  
  
"What? Why? He...he's not bad...he..."  
  
"They blame him for you staying at the Moulin Rouge so long."  
  
"They what? It was my choice...I..."  
  
"That's not what they think. You have to convince them, I will go to him, but I don't know how long I can last before the alcoholism kicks in again."  
  
"Alright, I will."  
  
When she walked into him room Christian was sitting on the window, "Christian?" she said  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Oh thank god, he's not drunk, "Umm, I was just wondering how you were doing."  
  
"Fine, I guess. But I have yet to figure out how to get to Satine." He said dreamily  
  
"That is also the reason I am here. I told Satine you were in London."  
  
"You what? I wanted to supprise her, how could you?" he said, just as if not more dreamily  
  
"I-wait, what have you been doing?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, just thinking." He said as he took a sip for a bottle with a green fairy on the side  
  
"Christian! What are you doing? You can't drink at a time like this!"  
  
"Why not? It helps me think!"  
  
"No it doesn't! How can you say that?"  
  
"Because......because......it just does, okay?"  
  
"No, not okay! You need to get up and go get my sister!"  
  
"You are right, but how? I can't just walk up to your house. Your mother will have me thrown in jail!"  
  
"Fine! So find another way! But just sitting here and drinking will not help anything."  
  
"You don't...It might...just leave, Bella. I can figure this out on my own."  
  
"Fine, but if you are drunk the next time I come here, I'm not going to help you get my sister back, and then what will you do?" with that she slammed the door  
  
'She's right, you know.' Said a voice in the back of his head, 'I know,' said another voice, 'but how can I get Satine back? Her mother won't allow it.'  
  
"Maybe if I don't go to her house." He said to himself, "I can meet her in town when she is well." He thought on the matter some more, "Yes, that could work, I could have Bella tell her where to meet me, it's perfect!" 'And hey, I'm talking to myself,' he thought, 'so I must be either brilliant or crazy'  
  
"So? How is he?" Satine asked  
  
"He was......drunk when I got there." She saw the worried look on her sister's face, "But I think I turned him around. I think I said some things that got him mad enough at me to want to change what I think and find you."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I basically told him that I thought he was a worthless, drunken bum, who could never get you back without my help."  
  
"YOU SAID WHAT??? HOW COUL-"  
  
"Satine!" came a voice from down stairs, "Stop yelling you need to rest!"  
  
"Yes mother!" she called then lowered her voice, "How could you say those thing to my love?"  
  
"Oh, I don't really think that," she said calmly, "But he was drunk so I figured it would not only help him get you back, but it would help him out of this slump."  
  
"Fine, but how can you be sure?"  
  
"I can't, but it's worth a shot, eh?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose it is."  
  
Back in Christian's room he was writing, something he had not done in a long time. He was righting a letter that he would give to Bella for Satine.  
  
Satine, My Love,  
I have missed you for so long, and I have waited to see you every day since, well, the day I thought you had died. But, I know you are alive and well and we can be together again! I have so much I want to talk to you about, but not here. I must see you; we need to be together. Bella tells me you are doing well in recovery, so if you are up to it, meet me at the Hide Away Café in town at midnight tomorrow night.  
  
Your Love Always,  
Christian  
  
'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'perfect.'  
  
Just as he was sealing the letter Bella came in, "Hello, Christian."  
  
"Hello, Bella. I have something for you to give to Satine," he put the letter in her hands, "Here, and don't let your mother see."  
  
"Of course I wont, do you think I'm stupid?"  
  
"No, I just wanted to make sure..."  
  
"Yes, well..." she locked eyes with him for one breathless second and looked away  
  
Christian coughed, "Yes...well...umm..."  
  
"I must be going." She said and hurried out  
  
'What just happened?' she asked herself  
  
'What just happened?' he asked himself  
  
So? I really hope you liked it, please R&R!! 


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